Marketing Mix Essay

Marketing is a business function that identifies consumer needs, determines target markets and applies products and services to serve these markets. It also involves promoting such products and services within the marketplace. Marketing is integral to the success of a business, large or small, with its primary focus on quality, consumer value and customer satisfaction. A strategy commonly utilised is the â€Å"Marketing Mix†. This tool is made up of four variables known as the â€Å"Four P’s† of marketing. The marketing mix blends these variables together to produce the results it wants to achieve in its specific target market. The following describes the four P’s of marketing: Product Products are the goods and services that your business provides for sale to your target market. When developing a product you should consider quality, design, features, packaging, customer service and any subsequent after-sales service. Place Place is in regards to distribution, location and methods of getting the product to the customer. This includes the location of your business, shop front, distributors, logistics and the potential use of the internet to sell products directly to consumers. Price Price concerns the amount of money that customers must pay in order to purchase your products. There are a number of considerations in relation to price including price setting, discounting, credit and cash purchases as well as credit collection. Promotion Promotion refers to the act of communicating the benefits and value of your product to consumers. It then involves persuading general consumers to become customers of your business using methods such as advertising, direct marketing, personal selling and sales promotion.